The weekend before Finals, my plan was to do homework, finish a paper, and prepare myself for Finals. That wasn’t exactly what happened. I went to breakfast and Mass. Then, as I started to get ready to do homework, I saw a friend. I asked him his travel plans. He said he was going to Salzburg and Munich with the University (as they were getting footage for a new promo video), and he proceeded to invite me. Since it was our last weekend to travel, within 30 minutes, I was packed and in the van, ready to leave for Salzburg. Not exactly what I planned, but I wasn’t complaining. I was getting a weekend of travel on the University.

As we made our way to Salzburg, I had the opportunity to get to know better some classmates, and our Director of Student Life and some of his kids. Most travel consisted of having to worry about what we were doing next and where we were going next. That weekend, they told us exactly what we were doing and where we were going. It was great to have stress-free and homework-free travel. Once we got to Salzburg, we walked around a little bit as they got some footage of us enjoying the sights of the city. Then we made our way to the Stieglkeller for our lunch. We enjoyed some beer, some food, and some fun with good friends. After lunch, we wandered around Salzburg for a while, enjoying some of the classic sights of the city, including the sights from the Sound of Music. We stopped for some coffee at a little café near the River and then made our way to the Augustiner-Keller for dinner. We were able to sit out in the beer garden, because the weather was fairly nice, and the trees guarded us from any rain. Once again, we enjoyed a meal, some beers, and some laughs with friends. After dinner, we made our way to our hostel.

The next morning after breakfast, we headed toward Munich. The drive consisted of doing various things for the camera to show the different things travel consisted of: sleeping, reading, singing, etc. Once we arrived in Munich, we went to St. Michael’s Church for Mass. That was the most…interesting Mass to which I had ever been. It was a Sunday Mass, and they skipped the First and Second Readings. They had the kids stand around the ambo during the Gospel. They sang at random parts of the Mass. The priest added his own prayers during the Eucharistic Prayer. The kids stood around the altar during the Our Father. Just to name a few. While I had thought that there were illicit aspects of Masses I had been to, they were nothing compared to that Mass. We truly need to pray for the Church and her priests. Yes, we should be thankful for all the men that answer the call to the priesthood. But that does not mean they are perfect. They definitely need our prayers.

After Mass, we made our way to the Hofbräuhaus. Some more laughs, good food, and good beer. After lunch, we wandered around Munich for a while, getting some gelato and taking some video. We hopped into the vans and gradually made our way back to little old Gaming. I got basically no homework finished that weekend. Finals were starting later that week. I do not regret going on that weekend. My semester in Gaming went by quickly – too quickly. I had not been to Munich. And I definitely appreciated more time in Salzburg. It was a weekend to get to know better some of my classmates. If you ever have the opportunity to study abroad or travel, take advantage of the time you have. Don’t over-do it; it is possible to over-do yourself. While taking advantage of the time you have, revel in that time; see the sights, experience the experiences. Live the experiences that you have, or you will regret it.